Electric and hybrid vehicles have become increasingly significant for the transportation of people and goods. Such vehicles can desirably provide energy efficiency advantages over combustion-powered vehicles and may cause less air pollution than combustion-powered vehicles during operation.
Although the technology for electric and hybrid automobiles has significantly developed in recent years, many of the innovations that enabled a transition from combustion-powered to electric-powered automobiles unfortunately do not directly apply to the development of electric or hybrid aircraft. The functionality of automobiles and the functionality of aircraft are sufficiently different in many aspects so that many of the design elements for electric and hybrid aircraft must be uniquely developed separate from those of electric and hybrid automobiles.
Moreover, any changes to an aircraft's design, such as to enable electric or hybrid operation, also require careful development and testing to ensure safety and reliability. If an aircraft experiences a serious failure during flight, the potential loss and safety risk from the failure may be very high as the failure could cause a crash of the aircraft and pose a safety or property damage risk to passengers or cargo, as well as individuals or property on the ground.
The certification standards for electric or hybrid aircraft are further extremely stringent because of the risks posed by new aircraft designs. Designers of aircraft have struggled to find ways to meet the certification standards and bring new electric or hybrid aircraft designs to market.
In view of these challenges, attempts to make electric and hybrid aircraft commercially viable have been largely unsuccessful. New approaches for making and operating electric and hybrid aircraft thus continue to be desired.